Improvement in buttons



'UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE.

ELONZO S. WHEELER, OF WESTPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND J. E. WHEELER, OF SAME PLACE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 76,016, dated March 24, 1868.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELoNzo S. WHEELER, of Westport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Buttons; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figures 1 and 2, side views of buttons as attached, and in Figs. 3 and 4, respectively, a central view of each.

This invention relates more particularly to an improvement in the manner of securing covered buttons to garments.

In the use of this class of buttons it will be noticed that, after several times buttoniug, the button apparently draws away from the garment, or, as it were, is inclined to stick out from the garment, detracting materially from the genteel appearance of the garment when not buttoned, and the strain which naturally draws the button to this position soon affects the fastening of the button, so as to draw the parts asunder and destroy the button.

The object of my invention is to overcome these diiiiculties, and it consists in the arrangement of a metallic fastening within the button, and provided with a suitable spring, so that when the button is secured to the garment the spring will allow of the button being drawn from the garment sufliciently to admit the thickness of the material, and so that when unbuttoned the spring will return the button to its original position close to the garment.

In order to the'clear understanding of my invention, I will fully describe the same as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

A is the button, represented enlargedin Figs. 3 and 4, the whole formed in the usual manner, and by the usual devices, save that through the filling of the button aperforation, a, is formed a little larger than the perforation through the under plate, b. Before the parts of the button are set together, I place through the lower plate a tubular rivet, B, (seen in Fig. 5,) the said rivet having a shoulder, f, formed near its head, and between the head of the rivet and the plate I place a spring, as denoted in Figs. 2 and 3, and when so placed-the filling is inserted, the cover placed thereon, and allsecured together in the usual manner, and the button is complete and ready for attachment, which is done in the following manner: A perforation is made through the garment, and an eyelet or other metallic device placed therein, and through that the tubular rivet B is placed. Then, by the employment of a suitable instrument, the tube is headed down upon the eyelet by pressing within the tube upon the under side.

4 It will be observed that natural position of the rivet is as seen in Fig. 3, and while it is being headed upon the garment the rivet rests solidly upon the outer plate of the button. Then, when it has been so attached, as denoted in Fig. 1, the spring within the button 'holds the button hard upon the garment, as

denoted in Figs. 1 and 3 5 but when one part is buttoned onto the other the spring allows the button to move upon the rivet, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, until the shoulder f on the rivet strikes the plate, which gives sufficient room for the material of the garment between the button part of the garment to which it is attached, and when unbuttoned the spring returns the button to its original position, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. Y

I have represented the spring as spiral around the tubular rivet; yet springs of different construction and different arrangement, so as to operate in like manner upon the rivet, may be employed, and such arrange ment those skilled in the art will readily perceive.

I have also represented this invention as applied to common covered buttons; yet it may be proper to state that it may, with like advantages, be applied to buttons of different construction. In some cases the spring maybe left off, and the button left free to move upon the rivet. This will partially accomplish the object, but not in so perfect a manner or make so nice a job as by the emgarment, the button may be drawn from the ployment of the spring. garment and return, substantially in the man- Havng thus fully described my invention, ner herein set forth.

what I claim as neur and useful and desire t0 secure by Letters Patent, is 7 ELONZO S WHEELER The arrangement of the button attachment Witnesses:

or rivet within the button, so that While the A. J. TIBBITS,

button is secured by the attachment to the J. H. SHUMWAY. 

